the value is too great to be named
by wildflowers
Summary: at what price, love? how far will you go for love?
1. fairy tale

1 Chapter One â€" Fairy Tale  
  
They got married, and lived happily ever after. 


	2. halcyon

1 Chapter Two – Halcyon  
  
Fuuko curled up in the sofa, waiting for her husband to come home. She had waited so long, she had fallen asleep.  
  
A key turned in the door, and he came in. "Fuuko?"  
  
He smiled. The way the tip of her tongue poked out from her lips was so adorable. "I'm home."  
  
She awoke immediately. "Raiha!" She threw her arms around him. "Hungry?"  
  
He shook his head. "I need a bath, though. I'm all grubby."  
  
She never asked how his day went. It was unspoken but tacit agreement. Neither of them needed for him to tell her how many people he had killed, or terrorised, or threatened. Nor did they need for him to complain about his job, or his boss. There were many things they felt needn't be said. It was better that way.  
  
Still, there were things she knew. If he needed a bath, it meant he hadn't gotten dirty – that is, bloodied – enough to need one before coming home. That meant he hadn't killed anyone.  
  
Their apartment was a sanctuary, for him more than for her, that kept him from the darkness of his job. He never wanted to let that darkness enter his little domestic haven, and never spoke of such things at home. It was better that way.  
  
They always slept wrapped up in each other. He would wake in the morning breathing in the sweet musk of her nape, and would go to sleep enjoying the same scent.  
  
"How was your day?" he asked as he came out of the bathroom, towelling his hair. It was okay to ask her, of course.  
  
"Not bad. Recca and Yanagi came over with their kid. He'll be one in about a month. He's getting really cute! And he crawls all over the place! If I hadn't gotten your stuff out of the way he may have impaled himself on one of your spare katana."  
  
"Oh dear."  
  
"Well, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad," she admitted. He grinned. She still hadn't grown out of her tendency to resort to hyperbole now and again.  
  
"Should we get a present? I passed a mall on the way home, and there was the cutest baby boutique I saw. We could go take a look tomorrow. They have lots of first-birthday stuff."  
  
"That would be lovely. What time are you free?"  
  
"It really depends. Things have been quiet for a while, so I should be free. I'll go in in the morning, and if Kurei doesn't need me, we'll meet for lunch and then go shop. How does that sound?"  
  
She beamed. "Lovely." She tucked her head beneath his. "It's wonderful to be able to spend time with you."  
  
"Good night, Fuuko."  
  
"Good night, Raiha."  
  
He stroked her hair as he lay with her in the dark, thinking. Recca's boy was almost a year old. That kid was really growing. According to Fuuko, the child looked exactly like his parents, and behaved like them too.  
  
Which wasn't really a good thing, Raiha thought, considering how much like a monkey Recca could be.  
  
He chuckled to himself. Mikagami's snobby comment from years back had stuck, and even he was using it now. They had all been kids then. Playing at being grown-up. He was still struck by the seemingly miraculous way none of them had died. Somewhere in that forest, he was sure, was still the rubble of a bloodstained hall, and in the rubble were piles of bones.  
  
He was just glad Fuuko's was not one of those.  
  
"Fuuko?" he whispered contemplatively.  
  
"Hm?" Her voice was cloaked in sleep. "What is it?"  
  
"You know Recca's son?"  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"You want one too, don't you?"  
  
He could feel Fuuko moving out from within his arms and flip around in bed. Her fingers sought his face in the darkness.  
  
"Raiha… You've told me already why we can't have kids. I understand, you know. Yes, I do want a child of my own. But what if you are killed? Neither of us wants our children to grow up father-less. It wouldn't be fair to him."  
  
"You're sad, aren't you?"  
  
She sighed. "Well – yes. But I do agree that it's better not to have any."  
  
He paused, and stroked her face. "Thank you."  
  
"I love you, Raiha. More than anything in the world. I don't ever want you to die."  
  
"I love you too, Fuuko. Heh. I promise I'll try my best not to."  
  
"Now go to sleep, and stop thinking about all these things. You need your beauty sleep." 


	3. cracks

1 Chapter Three – Cracks  
  
"You want the fish or the chicken? I think I'll take the fish."  
  
"I'll have the chicken, then, so we can split."  
  
They smiled at each other, closing the menus. Raiha sometimes felt they behaved a little too much like children. But it was a nice feeling, for once in his life, and he was content. Meeting Fuuko had really been a blessing. It was as if the cosmic force that had dealt him such a cruel hand in life needed to balance it out somehow, and so gave him this wonderful woman. He prayed that nothing would happen to ruin this life.  
  
"How about dessert?" she asked.  
  
"The usual," he said, then –  
  
His phone rang.  
  
Both their faces dropped. "Kurei," he answered.  
  
There was a short conversation, then he hung up, slipping his handphone into a pocket. "I'm sorry, Fuuko, but – "  
  
"I understand," she said softly. "You have a job to do. I'll go choose the present myself."  
  
"Thanks. Love you. See you later." A quick peck on the forehead and he was gone, disappearing in the way only he knew how to.  
  
Fuuko slumped onto the table, waving away the waiter who had come to take their order. She sighed heavily. It had become a common occurrence – when was the last time they had had an uninterrupted day out together? It had been too long. He was forever running off to do Kurei's dirty business in the middle of their dates, in the middle of their meals, in the middle of their walks, in the middle of their nights. There was no time that he was not on call.  
  
Not for the first time, she felt like strangling Kurei. Not that she could, of course. Sometimes she thought that Raiha spent more time with him than with her. But there was nothing she could do, for her hands were tied in this. Raiha was Uruha, he was not just some faceless salaryman. His job demanded total loyalty, responsibility and devotion. In fact she had been surprised Kurei had allowed his trusted right-hand man to marry her. She later realised it had been on the condition that he put his work over his wife.  
  
She supposed she should be grateful, but at times like these, she couldn't help but resent that. She was his wife, dammit!  
  
By the time she got home, she was really upset. She loved Raiha, yes, but that was it. She couldn't do anything for him. Even if she wanted to, Kurei would indubitably get in the way somehow. Bitterly she suspected that he had spies watching them to make sure he only called for Raiha in the most inappropriate of moments.  
  
They wouldn't even have to worry about whether they would have children or not – Kurei would take care of that, and not give them the chance to even make the damn kids. When was the last time they had made the magic? Not anywhere in recent memory.  
  
She ground her teeth. It was past eleven at night. What the hell.  
  
Finally Raiha came home, tired and, for once, blood-stained.  
  
"So Kurei's finally decided to let you come home to your little wife, has he?" she snapped immediately, not even giving him the chance to open his mouth. "What happened to our lovely afternoon together? You spent it with him I suppose! Getting yourself all dirty too!"  
  
He tried to get a word in edgewise, but she wouldn't let him. "Who are you married to? Me? Or Kurei? Do you know how I feel, waiting for you all the time? I'm sorry for yelling at you, but, damn it, I'm worried! What do you think I go through, every day, wondering if you will come home at night? Every minute you are out there you could be killed. I'm so stressed-out!  
  
"Do you know what I think, when I go to sleep at night?" She demanded. "I wonder whether this will be the last night I will feel your arms around me. I can never be sure about the next. All I can ever give you is that one night. What sort of marriage is this? Am I yours? Are you mine? I don't think so!"  
  
Normally Raiha would have had the strength to placate his riled-up wife, but that day it was different.  
  
He looked tiredly at her, wiping a blood-flecked hand over his haggard face.  
  
"And you didn't even bother to clean up this – this mess before you came home," her voice was shrill.  
  
"Fuuko."  
  
She harrumphed and turned away. And that was the last straw. He snapped.  
  
"Do you know whose blood this is?" His voice grew low and cold, like Kurei's. Fuuko's hairs stood on end. She looked back to him, shaking her head mutely, scared. His eyes were narrowed into slits. 


	4. things fall apart

1 Chapter Four – Things Fall Apart  
  
"Mikagami Tokiya."  
  
Her eyes snapped wide open, violet blur terror in the orange light. "No."  
  
He stared at her for the longest moment. She was too confused to think coherently. "But what – why – how – why? You killed him?"  
  
"I killed him."  
  
"What the – !" She spat out an expletive. "How could you? He was our friend! What were you thinking? Are you mad?"  
  
"Kurei told me to," he said simply.  
  
"Kurei told you to! I suppose that makes it okay! You monster! You just killed my closest friend!"  
  
He grabbed her shoulders. "Do you think I wanted to, Fuuko! Do you think I am so cold-blooded as all that? But I am Uruha. I do what Kurei tells me to. I don't have a choice."  
  
He saw that she was weeping.  
  
"I cried for him too, Fuuko," he said softly. "I almost wanted to let him win, to let him kill me, but I wanted to be back home for you. So that you would not need to worry. So that you would not need to suffer Kurei's retribution. So that you could have a normal life."  
  
"Is this a normal life," she sobbed, "when my husband kills my best friend? Are you going to kill me next?"  
  
He shut his eyes painfully. "I love you, Fuuko. But if Kurei wants me to," he said slowly, "I do not have a choice."  
  
"You do not love me – you lie! You are a monster!" Fuuko screamed, insane. "You are no human!"  
  
"Will you just shut up, woman, and listen to me for once!" he yelled back, hoarse. "Do you think I want to live this way? Do you think I do not question myself too? Do you think I enjoy all this killing, all this cruelty?  
  
"There is nothing more I want than to have a simple life, with a beautiful wife by my side. But I can't. Because I am Uruha. I've tried to protect you, Fuuko, but there is only so much I can do. You know that Mikagami was going after Meguri. He would have died anyway. All I did was to make it faster. And less painful."  
  
"You killed him," she insisted coldly. "You are a murderer. You, my husband."  
  
He closed his eyes. "Yes. I, a murderer. I too have called myself these names. My guilt is more than you could ever imagine. When I married you, I was hoping for a life in which I would not have to face this terrible burden.  
  
"But you know what, Fuuko? I don't think you care about me, not one bit. You wanted a puppy, not a husband. You're only interested in what I can give you – warmth, comfort, stuff like that. And for a while I was happy, playing along. But not right now. Right now I'm cold, tired, and dirty. I need a bath and I need rest and I need love. Instead, what do I get? I get a screaming, accusative woman coming at me right from the moment I step in the door.  
  
"What does she want? She wants more time. She wants to know why I did my job the way I was supposed to. She wants to know why I don't think about her, although I do. What she doesn't want is to know what I think. Does she care? No."  
  
Raiha stared at her. "You don't care, not really. You don't. You never ask me what I did in the day. You never ask if I am feeling alright. You never ask if I've had it tough. You never ask if I'm sad or if I'm upset or if I want to talk. You never ask these things. It's like you're not a part of my life."  
  
She looked shocked. "But you were the one who wanted to separate your home and work lives. You said so yourself. You wanted to never discuss your day at home. So I agreed, and now you're accusing me of not caring? Excuse me, that seems a bit too much to me."  
  
"Don't you get it? I wanted our home to be safe, to be ours. Yes, I don't want to discuss my day at home. But when I'm tired and depressed, I want to be comforted. Not – not asked about some stupid first-year birthday present!"  
  
He heaved heavy breaths of anger, then turned on his heel and marched out of the apartment, slamming the door. "I'm spending the night at Kurei's," he told her. "And maybe tomorrow night too. And maybe the next."  
  
He was gone.  
  
Fuuko sank onto the cold floor, holding her head in her hands. In one instant she had lost the two men in her life who mattered to each other.  
  
"What is this grief?" she whispered to herself. "I can't take it. Mikagami – Mikagami – you're dead? And Raiha is gone." She didn't know what to think, what to feel.  
  
["It's like you're not a part of my life."]  
  
But she loved him. With all her heart. She loved him more than life itself.  
  
She sat straight upright. She loved him more than life itself. 


	5. across the stars

1 Chapter Five – Across the Stars  
  
"I'm sorry, you want what?" Kurei's dark eyes ran her over. "I must have heard you incorrectly. Could you repeat yourself, please?"  
  
"I want to join the Uruha," Fuuko stated firmly.  
  
A sculpted brow arched sceptically. "I don't think you understand fully what that means."  
  
"I do. And I want to work for you."  
  
Kurei was not polite enough to hide his smirk. "You want to work for me? You, who, if I remember correctly, said to Mikoto 'I hate evil-doers like you, and Kurei. You kill and you don't care about the people you kill' or something to that effect? You want to become that sort of person you hate?"  
  
"Why do you care so much about my hatred?" Fuuko asked.  
  
"Ah. I get it. It must be Raiha, am I right? You want to prove you love for him, or something silly like that," he waved a hand dismissively.  
  
Fuuko blushed. "I will kill, if that means I am worthy of him," she said in a low voice.  
  
"Ah. But does that mean you are worthy of me?"  
  
She looked up, perplexed. "I don't understand."  
  
"You are asking to work for me. Not for Raiha. My fighters are professionals, Fuuko. I don't care about their love lives. You want to fight for love. I want you to fight for duty. How, then, are you going to reconcile that?"  
  
Fuuko tossed her head. "Is not love a stronger motivation than duty? Is not my loyalty to Raiha the same as loyalty to you?"  
  
Kurei frowned. "Say I told you to kill someone who held Raiha captive. If you killed him, you would kill Raiha too. In such a situation, would you not let him go free and save Raiha instead?"  
  
"You know as well as I do that no such situation will ever arise."  
  
"What if it does?"  
  
"I – oh, come on!"  
  
"What if it does, Fuuko," he insisted.  
  
"I would kill myself, I think."  
  
"That's not a good answer. But I suppose it's good enough, particularly for one with such a high-level skill as yours." He stared at her. "Fine. I grant your request."  
  
Fuuko's eyes sprang open. "You do?"  
  
He looked contemptuously at her. "You must know that I command complete obedience."  
  
"Yes. Uh. Sir."  
  
"First thing I want you to do is tell Recca and Yanagi."  
  
-  
  
"You WHAT?" Recca jumped to his feet.  
  
"Recca, sit down! You're making the baby cry," Yanagi shushed him.  
  
"Funny," replied Fuuko drily, "that's what Kurei said too. Not with so much emotion though."  
  
"You've got to be out of your mind," cried Recca. "What are you doing this for? What about all the times we fought them? What about all your friends? What about Mikagami? What about his sister? Why are you throwing all this away?"  
  
"I can't live in the past," said Fuuko. "I am disloyal only to our memories and the memories of a man already dead. I love Raiha and I will do anything to be with him. Including this."  
  
"But it's wrong, Fuuko! It's just wrong! It's evil!"  
  
"It's not," she insisted. "It's not evil. What it is, is love."  
  
"You're nuts!"  
  
"You were ready to kill all the people who stood between you and Yanagi, were you not? You wouldn't like it, but you would have. You would have killed your own half-brother. Is this any different? I don't suppose the people Kurei goes after are all that innocent."  
  
"What about Mikagami?" Yanagi asked.  
  
Fuuko paused. "He, well, um. Well. He wasn't as innocent as all that, was he? Can you look me in the eye and tell me he was as pure as driven snow? I don't think so. Besides, there's no way he would have succeeded in his aim without getting killed in the process. I'm sure the way Raiha killed him was more humane than the way Meguri or Kurei would have."  
  
"That doesn't make it right."  
  
"What is right? Can you tell me? Are you so sure it does not make it right? I love Raiha more than life itself, and that is all I know. More than my own life. More than anybody's."  
  
"Would you kill me, Fuuko? Would you kill me for your husband?" Yanagi asked softly. "Is it more valuable than our friendship?"  
  
Fuuko buried her head in Yanagi's soft yellow sweater. "Please don't ask me these things. I don't know what I would do, and I can't tell you. All I know is that Raiha is important to me, and I don't want to live this sheltered illusion of a life any longer. I am his wife, and I want to always be by his side. Whatever that entails."  
  
"Fuuko…"  
  
"I'm really sorry for this, Recca, Yanagi. But I feel that I must make this sacrifice. For love. Because all I know is love, I do not know right or wrong." 


	6. lux aeterna

1 Chapter Six – Lux Aeterna  
  
That night Fuuko came to stay in the Uruha lodgings with Raiha they had their wildest lovemaking ever, and thankfully Kurei did not interrupt.  
  
"I did not want you to do this. But it is good, because you are now the same as me," said Raiha in the dark heat. "We have both betrayed the Hokage. We are no longer part of that world. And we will be together forever because we are now the same."  
  
Fuuko could not be sure if he had said that with joy or with resignation.  
  
The next night they were both sent on a job, together, because their target would be difficult. But the raijin and the fuujin were when joined a formidable foe.  
  
As one, they moved stealthily in the dark. Alarms could not sense them, guards could not see them. No fireworks were let off, as when the Hokage were rescuing Yanagi, and no stone statue threatened them.  
  
And then, as Raiha gestured for them to head onwards, they both felt the back of their necks prickle. Fuuko was faster, and she threw herself over Raiha, and was just in time to catch the blade of the katana that had been thrust out.  
  
Raiha felt the warmth of her blood and her life explode all over his dress.  
  
He went insane. He called the raijin to dig into his soul, and, with all the power he possessed, concentrated on levelling everyone and everything within a radius of a kilometre from his feet outwards.  
  
The world exploded in a terrible flower of white heat.  
  
-  
  
The sun rose.  
  
The tired rays of the dawn crept over the devastation, playing on bodies which did not stir. Light rested on the entwined bodies of husband and wife, lying as if in sleep.  
  
And then, finding no response, the rays of light moved on. 


End file.
